Lullaby of the Raven Queen
by DarkDragonRyder
Summary: Freya lost her parents...Hiccup lost his mother...Toothless was taken from his family...What happens when they all come together? Just add a Dark Moon in the mix and they might have something more than they bargained for...
1. Chapter 1: What No One Should See

"Get away!" She screamed from the top of her lungs. No, she wouldn't stand this. In her arms was a small child that clutched at the soft sheep skin cloak around her. The little girl, only about ten, didn't cry. No, she didn't shed one tear. A man brandished his sword, throwing himself in front of the woman and their child.

"Quinn! Take Freya and go." The man encouraged her. The man with the sword turned to face the malevolent man and the crazed warriors behind him. With his eyes aglow, the protective father took a stance, ready for whatever came his way. The man's horned helmet reflected the evil nature.

"Alvin, we've played your games far too long." The man declared. Behind him the woman ran far away. The only thing that stood between her and the band of warriors ready to kill her was her husband. Quinn ran faster and faster.

"Psh! You've proven yourself unworthy of the riches we scheme to take from those filthy islands and their dragons." Alvin spat. Quinn stood on the ridge. She was only a hundred footsteps or so from the boat sent to take them to wherever would provide them shelter. They were supposed to go together! Quinn and her husband Indred were supposed to escape together!

Their plan was ruined when that pesky Hobblegrunt dragons that was looting the trash came and knocked over the barrels. The guards came storming out and then they were sent on the run.

"Just let her go!" Indred begged to Alvin. Quinn didn't hear the rest of what she said, but she did see what happened.

The blood.

All the blood.

Alvin cut her husband down without a second thought. Little Freya screamed in the horror of watching her father die. Alvin and the five warriors behind him charged up the cold hill to where Quinn stood, paralyzed by the sight.

"Momma!" Freya sobbed. Quinn snapped out of it and burst towards the shore with renewed energy. The somber waves crashed hard onto the beach where a little row boat lay waiting for her passengers. The old wood was cracked and worn, but it was their last hope.

Overhead, a dark figure soared high in the sky. Quinn looked up as a shadow passed over her, but couldn't expend the energy trying to guess what it was. Although Alvin hadn't seemed to notice the large figure in the sky, it wouldn't be long before he did notice it.

"Momma where's daddy?" Freya sobbed. Quinn stroked her beautiful blonde hair and gazed into those glassy blue eyes.

"He'll be coming soon!" She cried out, feeling her own salty tears trickle down her face. Quinn set her ten summer old daughter into the old boat with musty water in the bottom. Freya sat down obediently. She had always been a good girl and wouldn't break that streak now.

Alvin's roars were heard as he came and charged down the ridge. Quinn pushed the boat into the water, feeling the frigid ocean start to soak her boots and splash at her own cloak. Freya shivered in the wind. Right as Quinn jumped to get into the boat, she fell short, landing face first in the waves.

An arrow stuck out of her back.

A very triumphant looking warrior put his bow down as they gathered along the edge of the shore. Alvin kicked the dead woman with the toe of his boot. The long gaze was pinned on that little rowboat that was being quickly pushed into the ocean.

"Sir, what should we do?" Alvin the Treacherous' first in command asked. Alvin didn't reply for a long moment. The tension was stretched thin.

"Don't follow. The dragons will get to her if the cold doesn't kill her off first." Alvin spat. The hunting party walked away with two of the three targets killed. Alvin went to bed that night, letting the image of the child drift away like the boat into the sea. In years to come, that child would be soon shoved into the back of his dull mind, but it would never be forgotten.

_As for the child…_

The boat drifted further into the middle of an endlessly cold eternity. Freya's lips turned blue and her fingers were losing feeling. As she wrapped the cloak around herself, she prayed to Thor that lightning would come down and kill her now. She had no food, family, or life to live. She would die out here, so why not die sooner rather than later?

"Thor, help me." She begged to the merciless wind. It was nearly night time and nothing was to be seen except for the brilliant stars that started their dance in the sky.

But that's when a shadow blocked some of them out.

The wind got louder! The stars grew dimmer! There was heavy breathing like that of a giant. Freya looked up and knew.

It had to be Thor's mighty hand to come down and snatch her out of this world and into the might feast all great warriors dreamed about. Freya always wanted to be a warrior, but never had the chance to be one. Would she get her shot in the next life?

Freya looked up as suddenly, she saw a different form. Two leathery wings were sending great gusts of wind into the ocean as they loomed not even five feet from her head. She looked up into the flat, abyssal black face of none other than a dragon!

She trembled in fear as two yellow-green eyes looked at her. The round pupils seemed to memorize her face as they stared down at her. This lone dragon tilted his head in curiosity. The little girl wasn't afraid, but mimicked the dragon's curiosity.

"Hello there, dragon." The girl murmured. The large creature seemed entranced with her speaking. The ears of the beast perked up and captured every word. Freya reached out to stroke the soft nose of the black dragon when it flew.

Right at her.

The giant claws scooped her up, cradling her arms in each strong grasp. Freya yelped in fear, and the dragon seemed to…chuckle?

"Woah! Set me down!" Freya screeched, but the dragon didn't listen. Instead, he quickly flew away from the abandoned boat. It was as if the dragon had a destination in mind.

So as they flew, Freya slowly began to drift off. The slow flaps of the dragon's wings as he caught a current was her lullaby to a better world.


	2. Chapter 2: What Happened to Freya

_Ten years later…_

"Come on, Aria! Go! Go!" I yelled in both excitement and encouraged. The seas splashed around us as I knelt on the giant head of the Scauldron. She winged her way through the waters, faster than most dragons I'd encountered. The island's shores scared the blue landscape of the ocean near us. Mountains rose high overhead and the loving forests dotted the sides. My right hand gripped hard on Aria's nose spine. The curled spine rose up over her head. Glassy pupils the size of my head glanced up to me.

What was I doing on top of the most ferocious water-born dragon in the entire sea?

Racing, of course!

But more to the serious question, why was I even with dragons at all? Shouldn't I be dead? Should I have been swallowed up by that terrible dragon back when I was ten? The answer is no.

I lived, oh what I life I lived. That dragon took me to this island, or more specifically, to the middle of the island and into the arms of a woman named Valka. I was dropped there, shivering and crying. I looked into her blue eyes and sad the same sadness.

"Child, why are you crying?" She asked me. Back then, it had seemed like she was curious as to why I was there. The island had looked unpopulated from above, so she must've been curious as to why I had just shown up at her front step.

"M-my m-momma…" I had blubbered. She wrapped her arms around my thin body and told me everything would be okay.

"What happened to her?" She asked me softly, stroking my hair. In gasping breaths, I had explained everything that went down on the old island that had been my home. I explained that I had been rescued by the dragon and now was brought here.

"I to, lost a son." She murmured to me.

"But how?"

"To misunderstandings." She responded simply. From then on, she had taken me in as her own. We lived in the nest of dragons, ruled over by the Bewilderbeast that rested in the middle of the nest in the mountain. It was home.

Outcast Island had never been home, even though I had been born there and my parents perished on its shores. Valka was my new mother and this was my true home. From the sandy shores where the Changewings like to sunbathe to the rugged peaks of the mountains, I loved every inch of my home.

For the past ten years that I had lived here, Valka had been my patient teacher. We talked about how the dragons were doing, which plants were edible, and how to tame the dragons. It was as if I was in a teaching session twenty four-seven.

Except this lesson was life or death.

One slip up and a Nadder could shoot your heart out. A Nightmare could light you on fire. Speed Stingers could get angry. Anything could kill you, so the rule of thumb was to respect them all.

I shouldn't say that everything was rainbows and cuddly fires around here with the flighted beasts, but I would like to say that for the most part, everything went pretty well. The island was secluded so no one attacked us and rarely anyone visited the waters around our land. The Nadders got grumpy from time to time but otherwise were happy.

Oh, and then there was Argo.

As I was lost in a brief moment of tranquility, Argo made a dive for my head. The raven was trying to get my attention-again. Aria reared up at the bird, slowing down. I yelled more encouragements for her to speed up. The green Nadder on the beach was starting to catch up. It let out a shrill screech and got distracted by something shiny.

I saw the finish line come up. The rocky arch was looming just in front of us. I held on like I was riding Cloudjumper on a warm current. Aria spiraled out of the water, leaping up over the column. Of course we had won!

The Scauldron sent up a warm spray of air and I chuckled as she slowed down. On the beach, Argo was pestering the Nadder who had acquired a shiny metal plate along the way. Aria set her head down on the beach as I climbed off her thick head. She chattered happily as I patted her nose spine.

"Thanks for the race, Ars." I chuckled. She bumped my shoulder and slid back into the waves. Off in the distance, I could hear the rest of the local Scauldron pod spouting and crashing through the waves.

"_Chik, chik, chik!" _The green Nadder complained. I turned around as Argo landed on my shoulder. He patted my head with his beak as I walked towards a cluster of boulders. Argo chittered back to the dragon. I could've sworn he was being sassy with the large female.

"Hey, be nice." I scolded to the bird. He cooed back in a plea for forgiveness as I shooed him off my shoulder. The Nadder nudged up beside me, curious to what I was doing.

Before the race around the island, I had stored my cloak and sword here. The fabric was as black as the midnight air purified of stars. There was a little bit of silver trimming the edges, but otherwise, it seemed as if it had been pulled out of the night sky itself. There was raven feathers that adorned the edges.

"Come on, let's go back." I suggested. The Nadder took off with the shiny plate down the other side of the beach as Argo and I started back to our home. It would be an hour walk unless I could find my dragon.

Technically, I was supposed to be on watch right now, but it was starting to get late and I needed to get back.

Ever since I was twelve and had learned the basics of the dragon residents here, Valka had put me to work. Sure, we were a fairly secluded island, but we needed someone to keep watch. As Valka helped tend to those dragons that came in injured and lost, I was constantly watching the island and checking for possible invaders, Outcasts, etc…

I trampled on the worn path through the forest. Familiar trees enclosed me like friends. I heard Terrible Terrors play in the distance and felt right at home. Argo cawed lightly as we picked our way to the mountain slope.

Within the falling of the sun, I had arrived at the entrance to the cave and was crawling through the winding passages. When I finally got through the opening, I was welcomed by the familiar sounds of the nest.

"Mom!" I called. Sure Valka wasn't my true mom, but I called her mom as if she was blood related.

"MOM!" I called out again. A purple tinged Nightmare mimicked my call. The dragon chortled as I rolled my eyes at it.

"Hey, be nice Icker." I scolded. The dragon just shook its head and took flight. The wind bustled around me.

The familiar call of Cloudjumper sounded and I looked up. Argo called back. The giant dragon unfurled all four of its wings as it swooped down to settled next to me. Valka stepped off the dragon and patted its head. The intelligent eyes widened at her touch.

"Hello, Freya." Mom came and gave me a hug. I smiled. She had been away for a couple of days.

"So how was the trip?" I asked her. She shrugged and smiled. I saw her blue eyes twinkle. They looked like mine and I really could've passed for her daughter.

"Uneventful." She responded. I sighed. Uneventful was good. That meant there was no attacks or discoveries…

"Wonderful! I say we make Bristlebriar soup to celebrate." I clapped my hands together. My mom's eyes widened.

"Oh, Freya! You always make my day better." She gleamed. I gave her a quick hug before going off to collect Bristlebriars. Valka went to go check on how Gruff was doing. I kind of hoped he wasn't stuck in a corner again. It's happened multiple times.

As I started to wander off, I whistled a tune to myself. It was something I had heard on a trade wind once and I modified the words a little.

"Freya!" A voice called out. I looked up to see Valka atop Cloudjumper. The dragon dropped something into my grasp. It was my mask.

"Remember you mask." She winked to me. I grinned. The mask was beautiful and I took pride in it. I had made it myself. While my mother was adorned in her blue painted, orange spiked garb, I had a raven helmet. It matched the theme of the uniform.

A raven feather cloak, black feathers woven into my hair, and a mask of darkness; I was the embodiment of the dark bird. The mask was completely black with a single silver streak that spiraled down from the right corner of my right eye. It covered from my jawline, stretches across under my eyes, and rides the bridge of my nose. Basically, I made it so that the only thing showing was my eyes up to my forehead. That was all exposed, except for the bridge of my nose. A strap attached it around my head.

As I did the strap around the back of my head under my ponytail, I pulled the hood of my cloak up. Once I was done with that, I took a shortcut from the bushes where I was originally headed, to my workshop. Just north of the bushes was a little alcove with all my tools and stuff in it.

When I was off duty for watching over the island, I would spend hours in my shop. In there, I would lose track of time. I've designed everything from prosthetic legs for dragons to my latest project: Wings I could use.

Did I have a dragon companion? Sure!

Did I want freedom to fly on my own? Of course!

I entered the study and went to the table. My wings were finished completely. I had tested them out and put my seal on the papers. I slid the metal harness around my body and put my hands in the straps. The durable, stretched fabric created a wing that followed my every movement.

I rotated my wrist and the wings suddenly locked into place. I could now easily switch between aerial combat against intruders or gliding, and controlling the wings by flapping them or steering my course.

I could now fly.

And I was the first human to fly by themselves.

My cheeks heated up in pride as I felt the harness snuggly cradle against my back. Everything was falling into place.

As I pulled the cloak around my slim new pair of wings, I grabbed a basket and headed towards the mangle of bushes. Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, I started to clip at Briarbristles that snarled the ground.

Argo cawed at my shoulder. He jumped to the ground and started to toss extra clipping in the air. I chuckled and stroked his wings. The beautiful bird preened and let me stroke his head.

"Argo, stop playing in the thorns." I chuckled. His eyes peered up at me. His head pushed against my arm and I finished up picking ingredients for the soup. We walked back towards the cave.

That's when I saw a large shadow fly by overhead. I grinned as the form passed me by. I never looked up.

Instead, I started to sing that same little tune I had been whistling earlier. I knew she would come down at the sound of it. In fact, she had probably appeared because of the smell of Bristlebriars. She knew what food we would have for dinner tonight.

"_Flying under the midnight sky,_

_When you watch this misty dream,_

_Say your last goodbye._

_For this is the Raven Queen's_

_Lullaby." _I sang softly to myself. It was in a lilting, almost trance like time. I didn't get more than one stanza into it when the dragon landed in front of me.

It was the dragon that had taken me that one day, the one that looked like liquid night. It was that dragon who had lost her family three years after I had come to the island…

But that was a different story.

This was Darkmoon, the last Night Fury alive. And she was my dragon.


	3. Chapter 3: Memories That Haunt

_Seven years ago…._

"Darkmoon, stop it!" I gasped between giggles. It was my thirteenth birthday and my third year on the island. I was growing up quickly in the presence of the dragons and Valka. She had protected me and taught me.

The Night Fury was licking me furiously and I ran away from the girl. Darkmoon was my companion, my best friend. Ever since she had hatched three days after I came on the island, we had fallen in love with each other.

Darkmoon had three other siblings and her parents. Valka had befriended the dragons years ago, but this was their first clutch of eggs. She was the youngest of all the Night Furies. Her siblings were all brothers, so I stepped in as her other sister. We named the oldest brother Maelstrom for his fiercely protective temper, the middle brother Thundercall since he hatched in a storm the day after Maelstrom, and the third brother was Waverunner because he had grown attached to the beach.

When Darkmoon had emerged from her shell, it was the middle of the night. I had stayed up with her parents, Wynterwind and Summerset, just for this. Summerset, the normally overprotective mother, surprisingly let me stay. I guess I was thirteen summers old and young enough for her to adopt me as one of her chicks. I stayed up through the storms and rumbling thunder in the distance until the egg hatched. The Night Fury came out like a meteor in the sky. She crashed out of her shell and let out a little roar before her mother picked her up. I had laughed at her spark.

So now, I played with the youngest chick. She was smaller than the males. That was typical for her species of dragon. Even though she was only three years old, she was about just to my shoulder height. She was five feet now, but would grow to about nine feet in only a few years. Although she would be full grown at only about seven years old, the Night Fury might live to be over a hundred.

Wynterwind let out a little roar and we all ran over to him. He nuzzled his check affectionately. I waited in the back until Valka came over. I saw her run to my side.

I expected her to tell me happy birthday, or have a smile on her face. What she said was anything but.

"Outcasts! They're coming for the Night Furies!" She explained breathlessly. My eyes widened with shock. Night Furies? Really!? No, I wouldn't let them take my family, my dragon family and best friend!

There weren't that many Night Furies known to Vikings. They didn't lay eggs often and when they did, they were valuable.

Instantly, we were in motion. Summerset and Wynterwind got up and herded their chicks towards the northern cove. Hopefully, they would be safe there. Darkmoon called for me and I ran to her side. Cloudjumper set down as Valka climbed on him.

"Go! Take Darkmoon and make sure the chicks are safe!" She encouraged me. I nodded, feeling tears of sadness sting my eyes. Over the hills, I heard the calls of Outcasts as they charged up the hill.

Climbing on Darkmoon, we took off into the sky. We trailed with the other chicks and headed towards our only hope of safety. Over the green hills, we flew far and fast.

But when we got to the cove, it was too late. It was all a trap.

Summerset and Wynterwind had set down, sniffing out the area. They led us forward as we padded softly on the pebbles. That's when they attacked.

Nets came down on the chicks. I saw arrows fly at the adults, but the thing was, they never stuck deep enough to kill. Only a dragonspeare fletched arrow could kill one of them.

The chicks however, were a different story.

When the Outcasts stormed down, I watched them struggle. Darkmoon took me up to a ledge, and out of the way. She looked down, trying to keep me safe and go to her parents.

"No, Darkmoon!" I cried softly into her side. Summerset let out a mourning call as something stuck deep. It must've been a dragonspeare arrow because her call was cut off. But I knew the meaning.

It was sad, saying to not come down. It was saying, "Save yourself! We are lost."

I couldn't watch as the chicks were killed and Wynterwind's was finally slaughtered. I never watched as they dragged the bodies down onto the boats to be sold for profit. Their scales would make a great armor.

All I saw the blood when it was all over.

Darkmoon and I flew back to the nest. Valka was their waiting. She told me the Outcasts had backed off suddenly after a few minutes of warning calls. I told her what had happened. 

We cried and mourned for a day and a half.

Darkmoon didn't fly for weeks after that. The Bewilderbeast consoled her in that secret ways that only dragons knew.

_A year later…_

Darkmoon and I were on a regular flight around the island. It was more of a test flight for a new saddle that I had designed. So far, it was passing all the test I had designed for it. The grey leather was great at helping me keep hold onto Darkmoon's back. She rolled her eyes back to look at me. I patted her head.

"Let's take this up a notch." I exclaimed through the mask. She shot upwards, spiraling in circles. We flew high over the ocean. The pod of Scauldrons breeched through rough waves. As we reached the peak, I kicked myself off of the saddles.

I had full faith in Darkmoon now.

I was at a full freefall, cloak streaming behind me as I descended through the air towards the ocean. Darkmoon let out a happy screech behind me. I stretched out my hand and gave her the cue. Her claws latched onto my arms and we slowed down. Shooting up again, I climbed into the saddle.

That was exhilarating!

"Come on, Moons. Let's settle down for an hour or so." I laughed. The dragon whined but followed my suggestion. We landed on a small hill that overlooked the forest. Following path, I walked down the slope and found a little alcove. Figuring this would be a great place to sleep for a little while, I dropped the hood and walked into the cave. It was more of a little dig out in the side of a hill. It was like a dragon had abandoned it.

Darkmoon flopped down at the mouth of the cave, her green eyes closing. I patted her dark snout before continuing in the ten feet it extended to.

"Well this is exciting." I shrugged in disappointment. Darkmoon's ears flickered as I settled down. Her tail twitched.

That's when I noticed the usual rock.

There was a pile of rocks in a dark corner. They were all grey or brown. This one was oddly ovular and was jet black. A single streak of white marred one side of it. It wasn't large, but the white was just noticeable. I gasped as I dug it out.

It was a Night Fury egg.

Every Night Fury had a specific marking on their egg. Wynterwind's and Summerset's egg had a little dark purple splotch on the top. It was like a special mark that when the egg was laid, it could be identified as that parent's egg. From this mark, I knew it wasn't Wynterwind's or Summerset's. They weren't the parents.

Darkmoon came over to investigate and her eyes went wide at the sight of it. I showed it to her and she sniffed it tentatively before licking it.

"Groooss." I grumbled. She chortled as I put the egg in my pouch to show Valka.

_A year later…._

"Come on, Alexander!" I called to the Night Fury. I was sitting on the on the same ridge over the alcove where I had found Alexander's egg.

"Alex-boy, stop teasing Moons." I chuckled. He was pouncing on her tail and Moons was hissing at him. He just seemed to have fun pawing at her tail until she tackled him.

"Moons!" I called for her. Darkmoon quickly came to my side. She sat down next to me. Soon enough, I saw her yawn and got a face full view of those sharp teeth that could retract. Alexander nudged her shoulder, wanting to play more. I patted his leg and his dark, flat head turned to me. The grass tickled my arm as if it was trying to get my attention. Alex, only a year old, licked my arm.

"Hey!" I giggled happily. Alex was smaller than Darkmoon, younger, but just as playful. He might have come from a different mother than Darkmoon, but they acted like best friends, like siblings.

Darkmoon set her head on her legs. Her green eyes peered up to Alex. I watched as a silent conversation passed between them. Soon enough, Alex curled up by Darkmoon, so that she had her head resting on his front legs. Alex hummed happily.

"You two are cute." I smiled and took my turn crawling up against Darkmoon's belly. She was warm in the cold wind that was gathering. Between the two dragons and chilling wind, I started to drift off.

When I woke up, Darkmoon was shuffling my shoulder and crying insistently. I shot up, taking out my sword.

Alexander was gone.

"Alex!" I screamed. I called the Night Fury's name multiple times until my voice was hoarse. Darkmoon lifted her nose to the wind and caught a scent of something. Scrambling on her back on the saddle, I shoved my feet into the straps and she took off. Clutching onto the front, I hung on for dear life as she shot off in the direction her nose told her to go.

We neared the eastern beach where the Changewings normally sunbathed. No, they weren't here.

There were broken nets, scorch marks, and small drops of blood. As we touched down, the waves lapped at us, encouraging us forward. The splashes of blood grew darker and larger. Tears stung at my eyes.

"_Raaw…" _Darkmoon cried softly. She raised her head and cried out again and again.

"We can't lose hope!" I tried to encourage. Getting on her back, we soared over the ocean. I knew Valka wouldn't be too pleased if we got lost, but we had to find Alexander.

Eventually we hit a point where had to stop. I scanned the ocean, but there wasn't a trace of dragon to be found.

Then, in the distance, I spotted a ship. No, a fleet of ships. I heard Alex's whines, but I couldn't do anything.

Darkmoon and I were no match against hundreds of warriors. We would be killed and that would do none of us good. Darkmoon called out sadly as Alex returned the please.

It was that same cry that I had heard from Wynterwind and Summerset. It said, "Save yourself. We are lost."

I saw the banners. I memorized the masts of the ships. I saw the symbol and would draw it down for years on. Berk. Berk ships. Berk warriors.

Berk kidnappers.

As we flew back to the island, both of us weighed down by sadness, I swore revenge on any Berk islander that would dare to come near us. They would pay for taking Alexander away from Moons and I.


	4. Chapter 4: Legend of the Raven Queen

***Hiccup's POV***

My dad was late to wake up…again. I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. A familiar shadows trailed me as I walked down the creaky steps and into our kitchen. The dragon nudged my back, a signal for food. Laughing I set a food bowl down. He had given me 'little dragon eyes' enough to get me to crack a smile and give him food. He loved the bread I had been getting recently.

"Come on, Toothless. We have a big day ahead of us." I grinned. Toothless finished eat the bread and was stopped short of raiding the pantry. His tongue lolled like dog and he flicked his tail in excitement.

We walked down the steps and started to the village square to visit Fishlegs. He was working on compiling a new entry about Speed Stingers in the Dragon Handbook.

"Hey, Ruffnut, Tuffnut." I waved to them as they soared by on Barf and Belch.

"Hiccup! Have you seen Trader Erik recently?" Tuffnut asked. I shook my head. I had forgotten that Trader Erik was coming in! He didn't come around often, but when he did, his greatest treasure was the stories he told. Unlike other traders he actually told pretty truthful stories.

Although lore was cool, the legends were the best. Although not always one hundred percent true, it was fun to hear. Fishlegs had wanted to chase after one of the legends recently. I promised that if Trader Erik came about with another good one, we could look into it.

"I heard he had a _really _good legend this time." Ruffnut added. Barf and Belch clicked in agreement. I raised an eyebrow in agreement and kept on walking. My metal leg clicked against the stones. Toothless followed me patiently as we walked into the metal smith shop to meet Fishlegs.

_Two hours later…_

"Oy, metal man!" Astrid came and punched me in the shoulder. I had finished helping Fishlegs and now that I was done, I was heading to the docks to meet with Trader Erik. Astrid fell into step next to me. Stormfly was circling high overhead.

"Going to Trader Erik?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, you?'

"Yeah. Everyone's abuzz about this legend he's going to tell us at the meeting later tonight." Astrid exclaimed. I nodded and just listened to her talk.

My curiosity ate away at me as the day went on. I couldn't help but wonder what was making this legend be so cool. Was it a ten headed dragon? Another Boneknapper? Possibly a Skrill queen?

No, it probably wasn't that elaborate. Maybe this hype was for nothing.

The night was growing on as I walked into the Great Hall and sat down around the circle of benches. The fire pit in the middle was aglow and the flames seemed to dance in anxious wonder. I took a seat next to Astrid and Ruffnut. Our dragons were asleep outside.

"Hello everyon'" Trader Erik called out. He took his place to stand at the fire pit in the middle of the large circle. Everyone's conversations died down and all eyes were on the old man.

He was an older man with a faint beard that scruffed at his face. His long hair was tied into a braid with a hat on top. His green eyes twinkled.

"So I be hearin' that you're an anxious waitin' for a story." He started off in his usual lisp that we all loved. It wasn't some accent from a different island, it was just his own little signature. Everyone knew it as the Trader Erik Talk.

"Yes!" Everyone clapped and whistled. I heard Ruffnut and Tuffnut whisper in wonder. They were curious if there would be blood or explosions.

"As eryone knew that me stories be the greatest trade I be given. Well, today I have a legen' for you all." He made big hand gestures to accompany his speech. We anxious awaited for the story to start.

"There be a legend of a woman, no, a _bird. _She be about twenty years old, or maybe a hundred an twenty! Not a soul knows for sure…" He started. Everyone visibly sucked in a breath and leaned in to hear his ancient voice.

"She be a girl that can soar the skies! People say she's a raven, a beautiful creature born of the nigh' sky herself! They sayin' her true form be a raven, but some thinkin' she a shapshifter! Not a soul could say for sure which is true."

"Where did you hear this, Trader?" A man asked. Erik looked to him, a twinkle in his eye. It always went like this. The man would give a quick description and then people would ask questions.

"Oh, the southern water o' course! On the Askian shores where the fog grow great, she is legend, she is goddess!" He cried out. Everyone gasped together.

"What do they say about her!?" A young child cried out. His mother soothed the boy.

"Oh, oh, oh….They say a great many things. They say that the girl was born of the nigh' sky and she rule the sky all the same. They say she share it with the flyin' dragons. Some say, she _rule _the beasts." He whispered. Everyone looked in wonder.

"They sayin' the girl is the goddess walking on earth herself. They sayin' she the queen." He gathered everyone's attention.

"Who is she?" My father asked.

"The Raven Queen." He boomed. Even the name rang with a certain potency. It called out and held authority in the room. The fire seemed to die down to a respectful murmur.

"The Raven Queen. Oh, a beauty she be! Dark as nigh', cruel as lightnin', and always seen with a bird on her shoulder, mind you. Despite this, she be the most beautiful woman you see." He sighed longingly.

"Tell us more! Tell us more!" The crowd cried out, as if they words were food and they were poor peasants.

"I'll start from the beginnin'. Some say she was born on a mountain top. Some say she in't mortal and simply _is. _Either way, she be a mistress to be feared and respected. The Raven Queen resides on an island southeast of 'ere. She lives on an island of dragons. She is their mother. She is their keeper. They listen to 'er, an she listen to 'em. They say, 'to harm one of 'er dragons is to wish death of you'. She protects 'em that live on the island. Boats that go near there come back sayin' that a strange figure cloaked in voidal black shot at 'em. They sayin', they get away before they go up in _purple flames." _He whispered to the crowd. I was leaning forward, anxious to soak up more of his words. He stood on the edge of the fire pit. People were scooting to the edge of their seats.

"They sayin', 'you step foot on that islan', you disappear from worlds known an unknown. While she simply _is, _she will make you simply _is not.'" _He whispered to us all again. Fishlegs caught my eye and nodded. I knew he now wanted to go after this legend of the Raven Queen.

"But Trader Erik, if she is so cruel, why did Thor let her down here?" A little girl asked. Trader Erik stepped off his perch and knelt by the little girl. He patted her head and she looked up with bright brown eyes.

"Because my little lady, she is fair. Her cruelness goes to the wrongings we have done to her." He explained. A sad looked crossed his eyes. Trader Erik looked to the floor as he walked the full length of the circle. What had we done wrong?

"But we didn't do anything!" Someone called. Trader Erik shook his head.

"No, we as humans be doing her wrong. During the Dragon War, we killin' her dragons. Before that and even now, we takin' her dragons. The Asikin people tell it this way: She was fair, kind, and gentle before her dragons roamed the world. When the injured came to her, she healed their wounds without asking for payment. She sent the north winds to ships an bring 'em good trades.

"When her dragons roamed the world, we took them and slaughtered them. We captured 'er dragons and look now! She mourns over her dragons. She mourns those lost souls of 'ers. Now, The Raven Queen strikin' down any souls unlucky enough to cross 'er path. She blames us for killing her dragons. But we are at fault." Trader Erik sighed. I think a heavy silence was sinking down on all our shoulder. I felt a tugging at my heart to Toothless. If this Raven Queen was real, did she hate me for taking Toothless away from her?

"Is there any way to reason with her?" Astrid asked. Erik nodded, the happy twinkle returning to his eyes.

"She might be cruel, but she be logical. I-I think she be lonely up there on that mountain top." He chuckled softly.

"Lonely?" A woman asked.

"Yes, lonely. She up 'ere on her own, watching for 'er dragons to return home safe an sound. She singin' to herself, she is. She singin' a sorrowful tune. She singin' 'erself a…..a lullaby." Trader Erik regained footing on his perch and we all watched him walk around the rim of the fire as he talked. With his hands clasped behind his back, I started to get into the story more and more.

"Why a lullaby?" Snotlout questioned. Erik shook his head, as if the man was just a small child.

"Ery woman need someone to sing her a lullaby. She has no one. No one ta sing ta 'er. If you sing that melody to her, I promise you, she be no longer cruel. She will calm, she will calm that storm. The Raven Queen, she will be reasonable. Only when you give 'er reason to will she slay you." Trader Erik nodded. I took out my notebook and wrote that down. I took notes on this. All was silent for a moment as Trader Erik took a deep breath and started to sing.

"_Flying under the midnight sky,_

_When you watch this misty dream,_

_Say your last goodbye._

_For this is the Raven Queen's_

_Lullaby._

_Ocean winds, singing hills,_

_Lonely roads, an' broken stones. _

_From old mirrors to broken sills,_

_Feel the fear in your bones. _

_Save yourselves, for I am lost._

_Struck by lightning, _

_Or be ocean tossed._

_I am nothing but frightening._

_Flying under the midnight sky,_

_When you watch this misty dream,_

_Say your last goodbye._

_For this is the Raven Queen's_

_Lullaby." _When Trader Erik finished the slow, mournful tune, I felt tears prick at my eyes and goosebumps raise on my flesh. A shiver went down my spine.

"Trader, have you met this Queen?" My dad asked after a minute. The fear had certainly soaked into our bones.

"Why, yes." Erik murmured. We all stared at him.

"I was passing by 'er island. The other islan' 'ad warn me about this mysterious woman, but I paid not heed. I passed about a mile away. I heard this mournful tune I sung to you. She was over me, I tell you! She was over 'ead! I heard her singin' it a time, and I join in on the second roundabout. I thought it would make it not so….silent. It calms me nerves, it does. Now, I try an steer out as quick as I could and stand in the middle of me boat, making sure I looked peaceful. Then, she swoop down on me! She swoop down on me! I is startled for sur'! She ridin' this dragon, black as the nigh' 'erself! This raven come trailin' overhead and I get scared, real scared. I knew this was true!

"And then…..I see 'er. I see 'er plain as day. She stood on the mast o' my boat! I not say a word, for fear of what might happen. A sword, silver a' the lady moon, hung in 'er hand. I see fog descend on me! I see my fate comin' towards me. Her face is covered by a mask and a silver streak, a silver tear, sits on 'er face. She 'as a cloak made of raven's feathers, like the bird perchin' on 'er shoulder. Now, I about to jump o'erboard when I see the dragon again! It's black as…that man's Nigh' Fury!" His finger accusingly pointed at me. I furrowed my brow in concern.

"Are you sure, Trader Erik? There's only one Night Fury, and that's Toothless." I tried to smiled and lighten the mood, but a sickening feeling was settling in my stomach.

"O' boy! I'm sure as I'm sure my name is Erik! Well, this dragon swoop down and is circlin' my boat now. I see purple glow at its maw and I know, I know that I is done for! Now this lady, she not say anything, just stare at me with these blue eyes! Big blue eyes like the sky. I see them change to a silver and I fall to me knees, begging to Thor for me to live. I tell her to take anything, that I ain't touchin' her dragons! At that, she _jump off the boat!" _Trader Erik cried. I scribbled more notes.

"She…jumped?" I asked. He nodded vigorously. I had a set of wings that I had been working on, but I wouldn't expect some lady to jump off into freezing water, unless she had a way out…

"How did she escape?" Tuffnut asked.

"She wingin' her away! The dragon didn't do nothin'! The dragon at her side the entire time! The Raven Queen just jumped off the mast and used her wings to carry her 'way!" he cried out. We all gasped a little at that. Trader Erik ended his legend after that. As everyone exited the Great Hall, all I could think about was this Raven Queen.

Fishlegs approached me as soon as I found Toothless. He looked at me curiously as I patted his side.

"So when are we going after her?" He asked me. I turned to him with a little smile.

"Tomorrow evening. I'm going to go check out the island first and then I'll come back and get you guys." I told him.

"Are you sure you don't want us going with you?" My friend asked. I shook my head.

"I have a few things I need to check out first." I told him. I made a list of what to check out. Did she really have wings? What was her dragon like? Was Trader Erik lying to us about this legend?

The entire time I walked home, I couldn't stop thinking about that girl with the wings and name of Raven Queen.

"_For this is the Raven Queen's…lullaby…" _I sang softly to myself the entire time.


	5. Chapter 5: Revenge Will Be Sweet

***Back to Freya's POV***

"Mom!" I called out. He head poked out from behind the cave wall. She was tending to a clutch of baby Nadders who didn't have a parent around. A green chick was snoring on her lap. I walked out to her. Darkmoon followed me like a shadow.

"Going out, Freya dear?" She asked me. I nodded, knowing I wouldn't be taking my trust companion with me today. It was the day that Darkmoon would be helping count the chicks for this oncoming winter season.

There were twice in a year that the nest would be overrun with chicks. The Nightmares, Changewings, Speed Stingers, and Zipplebacks would be having chicks in the spring. In the early winter weeks, the other species would start laying eggs. Nadders, Scauldrons, Whispering Death, and others were going to be laying. Most of the eggs were laid and some had hatched. It looked like these babies had wandered away from the nest. A Nadder mother would come looking soon. Darkmoon oftened wandered around with Cloudjumper and Valka to make sure that the nest was protected and that the chicks weren't wandering too far.

That meant I was on watch…alone.

"Yeah. I'm going to the northern beach today. There shouldn't be much, like usual. The waters are going to freeze up soon and that should slow down any ships." I explained as I wandered around our home and gathered my stuff. Argo was calling for me outside from the branches of a tree. I slipped my mask on and shuffled my cloak around my wings. I had left the new contraption down here after I showed my mom.

"That means we have to go out and break up the ice for the Scauldron pod soon. Hopefully, it'll help a little more this year." The woman reminded. I nodded. Every winter, we had to break up chunks of ice for the water dragons so they had more places to breach. Some of the little Scauldrons like to climb up on the ice and chase the seals. It was pretty funny to watch.

"Okay, mom. I'll see you in the evening." I called to her and started to walk out. My sword was strapped to my belt and I turned as I heard my mom call to me.

"Don't forget your staff for the signal!" She called. I had almost forgotten!

We kind of ran into a problem last year during hatching season. Since almost all the dragons were busy herding chicks, I was out on watch and saw a ship coming towards the island but had no dragons to go and ward it away with. I couldn't yell and give away our position. I couldn't do anything except run back really fast and snatch up a Nadder to go and help me with. The Nadder was a little ticked, but pretty happy to chase the shiny ship.

So we developed a system. During hatching season, I carried a staff with me. If I stood on the hills on the northern beach and spotted something, I gave a signal using the staff, and a few dragons would respond.

Yes, we had trained the dragons to respond to that signal. It was a pretty ingenious way to solve the communication issue.

Thanking her for reminding me, I grabbed the staff (painted black and silver, of course. Sometimes, I have a little too much free time…), I started off down the trail. Argo came and followed overhead.

An hour later, I was perched up on my usual spot for look outs. A couple of Scauldrons lazily swam around in the distance. I yawned as grey clouds rolled in. They promised me another wonderful fog that would cloak the island.

I loved the mist and grey weather. It made me kind of sleepy. It also promised thunderstorms and I loved thunderstorms. I mean, the Thunderdrums loved the weather to, but that was beside the point. It was kind of obvious what their favorite storms were.

I sang myself a soft song as I twiddled with the ends of my cloak. Argo restlessly rolled on the grass, trying to scratch his back. Once he successfully grasped my attention, I ran my hand over his soft feathers and itched the spot on his back he always loved me to scratch.

I reminisced fondly of the old memories. Right now, Darkmoon and Alexander might be cuddled up together on the grass. I could've sworn that if they had another ten years, they would be mated together.

If only those Berk ships hadn't taken my friend.

Anger rose in me and I took deep breaths to calm it.

"_Alexander, get back here!" I chuckled as he chased Darkmoon. She grumbled as he batted at her wings. Rearing up, Darkmoon hissed playfully at him until he whimpered and tried to hide behind me. Darkmoon looked like she had won a giant fish before settling back down on the grass. Alexander walked up to me and sat down. His head titled curiously at me. Oh, I knew he wanted to play our favorite game. _

_It was called Roar-until-you-pass-out game. Basically, it was pretty self-explanatory._

"_GRAAAWR!" Alex roared at me. I stood up and pretended to make a big show of brushing the grass off me. Darkmoon opened one lazy eye to watch. _

"_RAWR!" I howled. He shook himself off and opened his mouth wider to return the call. We went back and forth until I got lightheaded. I cupped my hands around my mouth one final time before collapsing back on the grass. Alexander had one, of course. _

Oh, the good old days.

With a sorrowful sigh, I scanned the waters. The Scauldrons had disappeared. I kept looking until I found my worst vision.

Yet, it gave me a lust for his blood.

A boy, adorned with the Berk logo on his armor, was walking up the hills of the north shore.


	6. Chapter 6: Return From the Dead

***Hiccup's POV***

Toothless was flying over the ocean after he deposited me on the northern beach. A large mountain rose up through the fog. The mist seemed to cloak the island in mystery and terror. Swallowing a little of the fear that Trader Erik had instilled in me, I grasped at my only sword. My fiery weapon was also slung at my side, but I knew I had to rely on my sword and shield for protection.

My boots made imprints on the damp sand until they disappeared after each wave that lapped at the shore. I climbed the sand to the grassy hills. There was a bit of a field that was bordered by the forest. Hills surrounded on each side of me.

I started to hum that lullaby that Trader Erik had taught us. The notebook was in my armor's pocket, strapped in safely. Although the lyrics were memorized, I had them just in case.

To be honest, I had never visited this island. As soon as it came into view, I drew it down on my map. The only reason I knew it was the island of the Raven Queen was that it was surrounded by fog and gave me that eery feeling.

Looking around, I searched for the figure of the Raven Queen. Maybe she was further in on the island? There were no sounds of dragons. I thought it was filled with them! Was I on the wrong land?

That's when I saw her.

The heavy fog that scoured my vision parted just a brief moment to show a dark figure on the hill. She looked to be as tall as me, possibly as old as I am?

No, she might not be mortal. I had no clue about this mysterious figure.

A raven perched on her shoulder and let out a warning call. Her eyes followed me as I froze. Trader Erik was right-those eyes swallowed me up like the raging sea. I drowned in them. Her mask covered the rest of her face and was completely black except for the silver tear. The tear of the moon….

The cloak swirled around her. All that I could see was the black and silver staff in her hand. She stood like a monument in the grey sky.

I turned to the forest, looking for an escape if I needed one. When I glanced back, she was gone. Her form was swallowed by the mist.

My eyes widened. If I ran into trouble, Toothless would swoop down to lend aid, but otherwise, I was on my own. I turned to the forest as the sound of thunder overhead crackled.

I saw her.

The mist parted like the ocean of grey had been split in half. She stood no more than ten feet from me. Her left hand grasped the staff. Her right hand held a sword, silver as pure light. I felt my hand twitch on my own weapon.

So I started to hum that lullaby once more in hopes of calming her down.

I sang it softly, but her hard eyes so full of hate didn't soften. I saw a pure form of rage, as clear as glass. It was all directed towards me.

"Thief." She snarled, low as a Thunderdrum roar. I stopped humming to look at her curiously.

"I'm sorry, but I am no thief." I raised my hands in surrender.

"You are not welcome here." Her voice was sweet, but deadly calm. If she were to laugh, it would sound like bells. If she were to cry, the whole world would sob in return. It was as if the universe would bend to her voice.

"A-are you the Raven Queen?" I asked, trying to distract her for a moment more. Her cloak swirled around her once again. I saw the feathers in her hair. They were black as the midnight void itself.

"And you are a Berk islander. I do not like thieves on my island." She growled. Her eyes turned to a blue rage at that. I saw her fingers flex on the wooden staff. The raven at her shoulder screamed at me.

"I am no thief." I repeated again. She pointed sword accusingly at me. I drew my own. At the sound of the metal sliding out of the sheath, Toothless shot down from the sky.

He landed next to me, his teeth bared to the woman that was no older than I. He growled out a warning, flicking his tail. The woman's eyes went wide, wider than the moon itself.

Without warning, she slid her sword down in her sheath. Even the raven seemed to fall silent. Slowly, she reached up and let the raven step onto her arm. With a silent word, she let it fly off towards the mountain. The creature winged away from us on silent grace. All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of my dragon.

"THIEF!" She screamed in pure agony once again. I saw her whole form shake. The Raven Queen seemed to be suffering fits of rage and agony. Toothless growled again. I put my free hand on his side.

"You took him! You took him from me!" She snarled like a wolf bitten with hunger. I furrowed my brow. This wasn't usual. Her finger pointed to Toothless and I looked at him.

"I didn't steal Toothless. He's mine. I never stole him from you." I snapped back. She hunched over her staff, as if her head was hurting. When she stood back up, I saw a tear leak out of her eye.

"Your people stole him from me. You stole him and for that, I will kill you. I will kill you for taking him from me and from her." Her voice was broken by a sob. The Raven Queen stood up straight, as if she was taller than I. In fact, she might be an inch or two shorter, but made up for the height with her menacing voice.

But wait, from me and _her? _Who was this other figure?

Toothless growled at the lady, still trying to defend me. But this girl didn't draw her sword.

"You took Alexander from me. You took him and you will pay." She grasped her staff with both hands and raised it off the ground. Toothless stopped growling at the mention of the name. Alexander? Where had that come from?

"No, it's Toothless." I warned her.

"Alex. It's always been Alexander." She snarled and pounded her staff into the ground once, twice, and more in a rhythmic beat. Each hit rang out perfectly in the silence.

It hit slowly at first in an even pattern. Toothless was frozen, no longer growling. How had she known Toothless before me? I just found him in the wilderness after I had shot him down! What had happened before then and what did it have to do with Berk?

Toothless went into attack mode as soon as we saw fire grow in the mist. The fog started to dissipate as glowing eyes and fiery maws appeared. Ten of them, at least ten of them.

She had stopped pounding the ground with her staff. It must've been some call, and now we were in trouble as her backup arrived.

I guess her island hadn't been so dragon-less after all.

She slammed her staff into the ground once more and they flew at us. I hopped on Toothless as he took off. The dragons were fast, but we had to be faster. The Night Fury flew hard as he took off. Taking a look back, I saw the Raven Queen take off on the back of a Deadly Nadder. She looked furious with her blue eyes glowing like gems and her silver sword held at the ready.

Toothless kept flying harder, kept flying faster. We were leaving the dragons behind, but that's when the Raven Queen leapt off the Nadder.

She spread her wings and flew after us. Catching a draft, she started to catch up.

"Come on, Toothless! Shoot!" I called out. He turned around, doubling back in the air and launched a plasma bolt at her. She easily dodged it and then _removed her hands from the wings. _

Oh, so it was some sort of device! They weren't real wings, but did let her fly. Not only glide like my own prototype did, but she could glide and fly up and down. She could steer and fight as well.

And that's just what she did.

The wings stayed locked in place as she headed straight for us. Toothless shied back as she came for us. This wasn't normal for him. He seemed so hesitant to attack her, it made me worried.

"Come on, Toothless!" I encouraged again as she soared for me with her silver sword agleam. Toothless dove out of the way instead of shooting her down. Without warning, he hightailed it out of there, going faster than at first. As I glanced behind me, she was hovering there, just glaring at me as the clouds started to swallow her up.


	7. Chapter 7: Tomorrow Will Be Better

I watched him fly out of there until he had all but gone from my sight. As soon as I could, I turned around and flew back to the island with tears streaming out of my eyes.

He had Alexander. He had taken Alex from me. For that, I hated him.

But the man had called him _Toothless. _No, his name wasn't that. It was Alexander. It was Alex. I saw him fight for the boy, but why?

No, that boy must've brainwashed the Night Fury. I saw Alvin do it on the island. I used to watch him torture the dragons until they did what he asked him to. That boy must've hurt Alex enough for the Night Fury to attack me instead of him.

He had part of his tail missing. I saw that much of Alex. They must've cut off part of his tail and replaced it with their own controlling machine to make sure Alex didn't fly off. I didn't get a chance to really study the contraption, but I did see as much that it was connected to the saddle and to the man's metal leg. He could control how Alex flew through that peddle.

He was controlling Alex.

And that was enough to make me rage.

Stumbling to the ground, I collapsed in a heap. The wings folded back into place as I sobbed for my lost friend. It was as if fate had let me see my friend long enough to torture me all the more.

For that, I hated fate.

"_Chick, chik." _The raven cooed to me. Argo nuzzled up against my arm. He must've returned already.

"It was Alex. It was Alex." I whispered to him. The raven understood and nuzzled my arm with his beak again. There was crashing through the tops of the trees as Darkmoon soared low and came right next to me. She looked at me with wide eyes.

"I saw Alex, Darkmoon. I saw him and I saw that he had a rider." I whispered to her. She rubbed her face against mine to tell me that she was sorry. Her flat, angled head grumbled the sorrow. I could tell she was sad as well.

"I only wish I had gotten him this time. Now he'll come back." I said sadly. She grumbled to that. I stroked her nose.

"We'll get him next time, eh Moons?" I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but it was hard to with Alex still in my eyes. Darkmoon let me get on her back as she took off. She slowly flew through the air towards the nest. I hoped that the chicks were doing alright…

_Two hours later…_

I arrived back at the nest an hour ago and had mostly been sketching in my little notebook. It had notes, poems, and anything in between. Right now, I was sketching Alex. He wasn't much different than Darkmoon besides the fact that he was a little bigger than her.

"Freya?" My mom's voice came through the cave walls to where I was. She appeared at the entrance in the dim candlelight.

"Hello, mom." I said sadly.

"So how was watch?" She asked. I shook my head a little and explained what had happened. She had a right to know.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." She came over and hugged me. I sniffed a little. I'm twenty summers old, sure, but I could still use a hug now and then. She glanced over at my sketch.

"Alex?" She asked. I nodded. In the picture, he was biting his tail playfully, like he used to do until Darkmoon swatted his head.

"How about I make some soup tonight? It's pretty cold outside and looks to be cold for the rest of the week." She suggested. I nodded, thanking her as she left. Darkmoon padded up to me and blinked at me with her intelligent eyes.

"How about we go for a fly around tomorrow?" I asked her. She cooed back a yes. Her head bumped my leg playfully and I set down my charcoal sketch. I scratched that one spot behind her ears as they twitched.

"We can check if Aria had her chick yet." I chuckled. Darkmoon perked up and gurgled back in excitement. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day…


	8. Chapter 8: Protect Thy Home

I got up the next morning feeling sore and stiff. It was hard to open my eyes, yet I forced them to be awake. Outside, the green pines swayed and mixed with aspens. I heard the river flow under the weeping willow to feed the pond at the lower part of the nest. The Bewilderbeast would be snoring right now.

Getting up, I poked Darkmoon away. She rolled over for me to scratch her belly and snored. I rolled my eyes and rubbed that spot under her leg to make her roar in happiness.

"Okay, Darkmoon. Let's get going." I chuckled. She let out a toothy yawn and I hauled her up. With another loud snore, she finally got up and trotted after me. I strapped the saddle on her back and got on.

Her massive wings unfolded and we started to take off. She pumped her muscles again and again until we were high in the sky. I held on tight as she spiraled straight up and let herself fall back down. I clamped on tighter as she unfurled her wings and launched back up. It was a beautiful game of up and down.

We soared through clouds and wove around hills all in warming up the muscles.

That's when I saw him.

Alexander.

"Darkmoon!" I called and pointed. Her eyes pinpointed on the dragon. She dove for him, but I reigned her back up.

"Wait, it might be a trap." I whispered. She let out a quiet grumble and landed in the forest. I got off and hunched down. She nudged my shoulder, quietly begging to go with me.

I shook my head and said, "No, if they see you, we can't risk losing you to. I'll go first, and if I run into trouble, get Cloudjumper." I whispered to her. I couldn't lose Darkmoon like I had lost Alex.

She whined but eventually sat down. I patted her shoulder and walked off. With a quick adjusting of my mask, I walked off to the open area. Alex sniffed the ground as I emerged. His head snapped up.

"Alexander?" I asked it like a question, although I knew that this was for sure, Alex. He whined, tilting his head sadly at the thought.

"Alex, it's me." I whispered to him, approaching the dragon. The Night Fury twitched his tail nervously.

Nervously.

I heard wings descend through the sky as dragons surrounded me. There was a Hideous Zippleback with twin riders. A Nadder was led by a blonde haired warrior and she wielded a double sided ax with her. A boy rode a heavy brown dragon and another rode that flaming Nightmare.

So it was a trap.

That same boy I saw before leapt out of the Nadder's grip and landed on the ground. They were all on me at once.

They thought they were smart to encircle me. They thought they had the advantage.

They were wrong.

The Hideous Zipplebacks flew above and sprayed the noxious gas. For any normal person, it would make them gag and then hurt them when it was it. I knew how do defend myself from it. Holding my cloak over my mouth, I held my breath and rolled out of the way as one head lit the other's gas.

The large man riding the dragon attempted to squish me, but I was too quick for it. I knew that although these dragons could fly side to side, they were pretty slow. As soon as she dropped, I ran my hands up her snout. It made her sneeze as her eyes closed in sleepiness.

One dragon down, four more to go.

Valka had all taught me these tricks to calm angry dragons. It was coming into great use now that I was faced with these problems. The Nadder landed next to me and I rolled out of the way as she shot the spikes. I let her shoot three more times before she was out. They only had a certain spike limit and I had reached it. The Nadder let out an angry howl as the rider jumped off to attack me.

I wanted to run. I wanted to _so _badly. But I couldn't.

I had a home to protect.

I had a family to protect.

The girl came at me and I blocked each swing easily. The ax made it slow and cumbersome. I pushed her backwards with the butt of my weapon and dodged a swing from the boy I saw yesterday. He was a little quicker with his weapon, but I had been well taught by my mother. She trained me every day with the weapons. I learned to use my environment to my advantage.

The Nightmare swooped down to grab me, but I hit the sensitive spot behind its leg and it tumbled down. The rider leapt off to make sure the dragon was okay. The beast would be fine, just stunned for a few minutes.

That's when Alex jumped in front of his rider. I stopped my killing swing just short of hurting Alex. The battlefield fell silent for a minute, just barely a second.

"_GRAWR!" _The Night Fury let out a strangled roar. Breathing heavily, I smiled a little under my mask.

"_ROOOAAR!"_ I called back, cupping my hand over my mouth. It was just like we were playing our games back seven years ago. Alex looked a little taken back and roared again. That boy behind him looked confused.

"_ARRRR!" _Alex screamed back. I mimicked it and he just looked at me like I was insane. But somewhere deep in his eyes, I saw a spark of recognition. His ears flickered back again.

Before I knew it, the blue Nadder was on top of me and I struggled under its claws. I had let Alex distract me! I rolled away and went up sprinting. The warriors were after me.

Letting my cloak fly behind me, I hooked my wrists to my wings and ran to the top of the hill. Gaining just enough speed and angling with the wind that started to pick up, I leapt off the edge.

My artificial wings carried me high into the sky. Their gasps were heard from all the way on the ground. Skillfully maneuvering in the sky, I did flips and turns around shots fired at me.

I needed to get them away from here.

So I flew out towards the sea. The Scauldron pod was breaching out where the ice wasn't freezing over. I called for them and I saw Aria turn her head to me.

But then I was hit.

Up high in the grey clouds, I didn't see the Nightmare that swooped in front of me and my wing was singed. I started a spiral down to the sea.

My brain kicked into high gear as I quickly unclipped my wings and let them drop. If they were to capture me, I wasn't going to let them have my inventions. The Scauldrons underneath started to breech and spray at the enemy dragons. I saw one of the younger dragons snatch my wings before the Nadder could grab them. Aria called for me and I angled my body for her. She would catch me before I hit the thin ice.

But she didn't reach me. The Night Fury did.

I was yanked back hard and felt my wrist snap. The Night Fury howled in triumph. The riders seemed pleased. The vision in front of me started to fade to black. I attempted to stay awake, but was unsuccessful.

The dragons shot off to their island. Aria called to me below. She breeched again and again, trying to snap at the high flying dragons.

"_Aria!" _I called to her. She swam faster, trying to keep up. Oh, how I loved that faithful dragon! She called her familiar whistle, the one that always let me know she was close by. I loved that whistle and now I might never hear it again.

"Keep them safe!" I called to her. She mournfully whistled back, but stopped following. Right before I blacked out, I saw her dive back below the surface.

That was the last I saw of my beautiful island.


End file.
